Posts Tagged andy stanley

I attended the Chik-Fil-A Leadercast last Friday (remotely). For those of you who did not watch via a host site or attend it live, it is worth the time for next year. The event is a live webcast of the stage in Atlanta where roughly a dozen different people spoke on leadership. The speakers were authors, athletes, journalists and doctors. The very first speaker was Andy Stanley, author of The Next Generation Leader. He grabbed my attention with this statement: “Uncertainty underscores the need for leadership.” I wrote that one down.

The simplicity of this statement yet the complexity of the content are amazing. The first word is “uncertainty”, which is not a word usually applied to leadership. Yet when we look at life in general, it is full of uncertainty. There are risks and benefits with everything we do in our professional and personal lives. The unknown ahead in life can be both exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time! However, some people are paralyzed by the fear and responsibility of the unknown instead of driven by the adventure of choice.

Why are there leaders? One answer – there is a decision to be made and someone makes it, although that isn’t enough. I can make decisions all day long and not be a leader. To be a leader, one must have followers. Followers are people who do the same action because of the leader’s physical or emotional influence. Leaders are usually identified with the decisions they make, good or bad. Think about Harry Truman or Rosa Parks, two leaders who made a large impact on our society and the world due to their decisions. History shows us that sometimes there is a choice to make and it just takes a strong leader to make it.